Mobile dental console

ABSTRACT

A dental console for supporting a plurality of dental instruments, the console being equipped with swivel casters which permit it to be moved about as desired. A pair of handles are provided for moving the console, the handles being mounted upon the console&#39;&#39;s sidewalls and being constructed and located to facilitate console movement. Such handles also serve as the mounting means for dental trays and other accessories.

0 United States Patent 1 3592033 [72] inventor Richard A.Slouka [56]References Cited 2 A l N g glt j g UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 1,194,4368/1916 Smith 312/209x [22] Filed Dec.20,1968

3,154,358 10/1964 Blasch .v 312/209 [45] Famed 3229 368 l/1966 T c 11'312/209x [73] Assignee American Hospital Supply Corporation o c mlEvanston, Ill. Primary ExaminerPatrick D. Lawson Atlomey--Dawson,Tilton, Fallon & Lungmus ABSTRACT: A dental console for supporting aplurality of [54] MQBMLE DENTAL CONSOLE dental instruments the consolebeing equipped with swivel 4 Claims 3 Drawing Figs. casters which permitit to be moved about as desired. A pair of handles are provided formoving the console, the handles [52] 11.5. (IL... 312/209 being mountedupon the consoles sidewalls and being con- [51] llnt.1Cl "13471181100structed and located to facilitate console movement. Such [50] Field011' Search 312/209; handles also serve as the mounting means for dentaltrays and other accessories.

MOBILE DENTAL CONSOLE BACKGROUND While the advantages of having a dentalconsole movable relative to a dental chair have been recognized for sometime, the size and weight of a conventional console makes repositioningof the same difficult even when such a console is equipped with wheelsor casters. Thus, should a dentist in seated position wish to shift aconventional wheeled console into a position which would make the dentalinstruments more readily accessible, the dentist may often find itnecessary to stand in order to apply sufficient force necessary torelocate the unit.

SUMMARY It has been found that the difficulty in shifting a conventionalmobile console arises to a large extent from the location and horizontalorientation of the console s handle. One aspect of the inventiontherefore lies in recognizing that a vertically oriented handle is farmore effective for shifting a console from one position to another,especially if the dentist is in a seated position. A pair of verticallyelongated handles are rigidly mounted on opposite sides of the console,each handle including a vertical member of noncircular cross section.The member preferably comprises a rectangular tube defining an upwardlyopening socket for receiving the depending shaft of a dental trayassembly or of some other accessory such as, for example, a cuspidorassembly.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of a dental console embodyingthe present invention, the console being shown in conjunction with adental tray having a depending shaft spaced from a handle of the consoleto illustrate the relationship therebetween;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the console;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded and broken perspective view illustratingdetails of the consoles handle construction.

DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral generally designates amobile dental console comprising a vertically elongated cabinet havingtop, front and sidewalls 11-13, respectively. The upper portion of thefront wall is provided with an opening through which aninstrument-supporting head 14 projects. As shown in FIG. I, the head isequipped with a series of forwardly facing sockets IS in which aplurality of dental instruments 16 are removably supported. Suchinstruments may include handpieces (either contra angle or straight),syringes, and other conventional instruments which are well known in theart and which need not be described in greater detail herein.

It will be observed from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the console is equipped withtwo pair of outwardly extending legs 17, each of the legs projectingoutwardly (laterally and either forwardly or rearwardly) from a lowercorner portion of the cabinet. The generally horizontal legs areequipped at their outer ends with swivel casters or wheels 18.

A pair of vertically elongated handles 19 are rigidly mounted on each ofthe sidewalls 13 of the cabinet. The handles are identical, eachconsisting of a vertically elongated tube 20 of noncircular crosssection. While the square cross section illustrated most clearly in FIG.3 is preferred, it is to be understood that other outside configurationswhich are noncircular (triangular or pentangular, for example) may beused.

Each tubular member 20 is mounted in spaced parallel relation withrespect to a sidewall 13 of the cabinet by means of a pair of bracketelements 21. As shown in FIG. 3, each bracket is provided with a recess22 for receiving an end portion of the tubular member. The brackets arescrewed or otherwise per- LII manently secured to each sidewall 13 toprovide a rigid sidewall 113 a distance sufficient to permit an operatorto extend his fingers between the handle member and the cabinet wall.Thus, each handle member 20 may be securely gripped in the mannerillustrated in FIG. I and, since the handle member 20 is of noncircularexternal cross section and is rigidly mounted by bracket elements 21,twisting force applied to a handle member will tend to rotate theconsole about the vertical axis of that handle member.

Such rotation is facilitated by the relationship of each handle withrespect to swivel casters 18. It will be observed from FIG. ll that thehandle tube 20 at each side of the console is disposed in a verticalplane which passes through a pair of casters 18 therebelow.Consequently, as an operator-gripping handle 20 moves his wrist torotate console 10 into a new position, the axis of rotation will beclose to the casters at one side of the unit.

The vertical orientation of handles I9 is particularly important inshifting the entire console from one position to another along a floorsurface. The hand position of an operator (particularly one who isseated) gripping a handle 19 of the console is a natural one and givesthe operator an opportunity to exert maximum force with minimum effortin shifting the console from one position to another across a floorsurface.

Each tubular handle member 20 is provided with an opening 23 extendingvertically therethrough. The upper (and lower) bracket members 21 areprovided with aligned openings 24, the openings 23 and 24 therebydefining upwardly opening cylindrical sockets for receiving thedepending shafts of dental accessories such as, for example, thedownwardly extending shaft 25 of removable tray assembly 26 shown inFIG. 1. Since both handles 19 are identical and are therefore providedwith upwardly facing sockets, a dentist may use either or both of suchsockets for mounting appropriate accessories. Each socket, beingcylindrical in shape, permits the accessory to be rotated about the axisof the handle into a position most convenient for the dentist. Since thetray or other accessory is immediately adjacent a handle a dentist may,by gripping a handle to shift the position of the console, be confidentthat the tray or accessory will be within comfortable reach when theconsole has been repositioned.

While in the foregoing I have disclosed an embodiment of the inventionin considerable detail for purposes of illustration, it will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that many of these details may bevaried without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

11. A console for dental instruments comprising a vertically elongatedinstrument-supporting cabinet having a front wall and a pair ofsidewalls adjacent said front wall, said cabinet being provided withswivel casters for movably supporting the same upon a floor surface, andat least one handle secured to one of said sidewalls, said handlecomprising a vertically elongated member spaced laterally from saidsidewall and rigidly secured thereto by bracket means, said member beingnoncircular in cross section throughout substantially its entirevertical extent and comprising a hollow tube, the upper end of said tubebeing open to define an upwardly facing socket for receiving thedepending shaft of a dental accessory supportable upon said handle.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which a dental accessory is removablymounted upon said one handle, said accessory being provided with adepending shaft removably received in said upwardly facing socket.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which said socket and said shaft arecylindrical in shape, said shaft being rotatable in said socket.

4. The structure of claim I in which said console is provided with apair of said handles secured to each of said sidewalls.

1. A console for dental instruments comprising a vertically elongatedinstrument-supporting cabinet having a front wall and a pair ofsidewalls adjacent said front wall, said cabinet being provided withswivel casters for movably supporting the same upon a floor surface, andat least one handle secured to one of said sidewalls, said handlecomprising a vertically elongated member spaced laterally from saidsidewall and rigidly secured thereto by bracket means, said member beingnoncircular in cross section throughout substantially its entirevertical extent and comprising a hollow tube, the upper end of said tubebeing open to define an upwardly facing socket for receiving thedepending shaft of a dental accessory supportable upon said handle. 2.The structure of claim 1 in which a dental accessory is removablymounted upon said one handle, said accessory being provided with adepending shaft removably received in said upwardly facing socket. 3.The structure of claim 2 in which said socket and said shaft arecylindrical in shape, said shaft being rotatable in said socket.
 4. Thestructure of claim 1 in which said console is provided with a pair ofsaid handles secured to each of said sidewalls.